Contemplative prayer [oración mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us. — Teresa of Avila
Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion of God, which, if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the Spirit of love. — John of the Cross
In contemplative prayer we seek to become the person we are called to be, not by thinking of God, but by being with God. Simply to be with God is to be drawn into being the person God calls us to be — John Main
The true contemplative is one who has discovered the art of finding leisure even in the midst of his work, by working with such a spirit of detachment and recollection that even his work is a prayer — Thomas Merton
Meditation is listening to the divine within — Edgar Cayce
Every one should find some suitable time, day or night, to sink into his depths, each according to his own fashion. Not every one is able to engage in contemplative prayer. — Johannes Tauler
Prayer is sitting in the silence until it silences us, choosing gratitude until we are grateful, and praising God until we ourselves are an act of praise. — Richard Rohr
Alone-in moments of prayer or meditation, or simply in stillness-we breathe more deeply, see more fully, hear more keenly. We notice more, and in the process, we return to what is sacred. — Katrina Kenison
Prayer is the Word of God which comes to you when you are silent enough, still enough, expectant enough to receive it. — Joel S. Goldsmith
Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts. — Mother Teresa
When you meditate, the silence of the senses illumines the presence of God within. — Gurumayi Chidvilasananda
Praying is not about asking; it's about listening...
It is just opening your eyes to see what was there all along. — Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche
Prayer is the wing wherewith the soul flies to heaven, and meditation the eye wherewith we see God. — Ambrose
To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there to stand before the face of the Lord, ever-present, all seeing, within you. — Theophan the Recluse
Prayer that is born of meditation upon the Word of God is the prayer that soars upward most easily to God's listening ears. — R. A. Torrey
Short Contemplative Prayer Quotes
Prayer is climbing up into the heart of God. — Martin Luther
Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God — Mother Teresa
The soul becomes prudent by sitting and being quiet. — Aristotle
The brilliance of contemplated beauty opens the spirit to the mystery of God. — Angelo Sodano
If the only prayer you ever say is "thank you", that will be enough.
Contemplative Life Quotes
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. — Rachel Carson
It's a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you're ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any. — Hugh Laurie
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. — Rachel Carson
Sometimes, you just have to bow your head, say a prayer, and weather the storm.
To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing, to contemplate the beautiful thing: that is enough for one man's life. — T. S. Eliot
I felt myself in a solitude so frightful that I contemplated suicide. What held me back was the idea that no one, absolutely no one, would be moved by my death, that I would be even more alone in death than in life. — Jean-Paul Sartre
Simply wait, be quiet, still The world will freely offer itself to you. — Franz Kafka
Prayer is when you talk to god, meditation is when god talks to you.
The only thing that makes life worth living is the possibility of experiencing now and then a perfect moment. And perhaps even more than that, it's having the ability to recall such moments in their totality, to contemplate them like jewels. — Paul Bowles
Magical places are always beautiful and deserve to be contemplated ... Always stay on the bridge between the invisible and the visible. — Paulo Coelho
Contemplation often makes life miserable. We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live. — Nicolas Chamfort
The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. — Aristotle
Contemplation Quotes
The first great thing is to find yourself and for that you need solitude and contemplation - at least sometimes. I can tell you deliverance will not come from the rushing noisy centers of civilization. It will come from the lonely places. — Fridtjof Nansen
As long as the general population is passive, apathetic, diverted to consumerism or hatred of the vulnerable, then the powerful can do as they please, and those who survive will be left to contemplate the outcome. — Noam Chomsky
The more time you spend contemplating what you should have done... you lose valuable time planning what you can and will do. — Lil Wayne
Prayer is the key to heaven but faith unlocks the door.
Place your mind before the mirror of eternity! Place your soul in the brilliance of glory! And transform your entire being into the image of the Godhead Itself through contemplation. — Clare of Assisi
The only way to comprehend what mathematicians mean by Infinity is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity. — Voltaire
Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them. — David Hume
God answers all prayers. Sometimes the answer is no.
The highest goal of music is to connect one's soul to their Divine Nature, not entertainment — Pythagoras
Master your breath, let the self be in bliss, contemplate on the sublime within you. — Tirumalai Krishnamacharya
Occupy yourself in beholding and bewailing your own imperfections rather than contemplating the imperfections of others. — Ignatius of Loyola
The law of floatation was not discovered by contemplating the sinking of things, but by contemplating the floating of things which floated naturally, and then intelligently asking why they did so. — Thomas Troward
Meditation And Prayer Quotes
Help me, Lord, to remember that religion is not to be confined to the church... nor exercised only in prayer and meditation, but that every where I am in Thy Presence — Susanna Wesley
After you have made a decision that is pleasing to God, the Devil may try to make you have second thoughts. Intensify your prayer time, meditation, and good deeds. For if Satan's temptations merely cause you to increase your efforts to grow in holiness, he'll have an incentive to leave you alone. — Ignatius of Loyola
Give yourself to prayer, to reading and meditation on divine truths: strive to penetrate to the bottom of them and never be content with a superficial knowledge. — David Brainerd
If the only prayer you said was "Thank you", that would be enough.
For Christians, as for all people of faith, reflection, meditation and prayer help us to renew ourselves in God's love, as we strive daily to become better people. The Christmas message shows us that this love is for everyone. There is no one beyond its reach. — Queen Elizabeth II
Only a life of prayer and meditation will render a vessel ready for the Master's use. — George Muller
You can set up an altar to God in your minds by means of prayer. And so it is fitting to pray at your trade, on a journey, standing at a counter or sitting at your handicraft. — Saint John Chrysostom
For one minute walk outside. Stand there in silence, look up at the sky and contemplate how amazing life is.
If you surrender yourself, and do not rush, but meditate on the Word of God, you will find prayer forming in your heart. It is a prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit, a prayer that God will be pleased to hear. — John R. Rice
Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer. — Dean Koontz
Stillness is our most intense mode of action. It is in our moments of deep quiet that is born every idea, emotion, and drive which we eventually honor with the name of action. We reach highest in meditation, and farthest in prayer. In stillness every human being is great. — Leonard Bernstein
When you cease from labour, fill up your time in reading, meditation, and prayer: and while your hands are labouring, let your heart be employed, as much as possible, in divine thoughts. — David Brainerd
Prayer And Meditation Quotes
Ask yourself whose voice are you listening to? What you see in me is the result of prayer and hard work and obedience to the voice of God. — Folorunsho Alakija
Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. — Bill W.
If you want to know what you are here to do, how you can be more loving, or how to get through a difficult situation, my answer is always meditate. The difference between prayer and meditation is that when we pray, we are asking for something, and when we meditate, we are listening to the answer. — James Van Praagh
What you cannot achieve with your efforts, you can achieve with prayer.
In order to succeed in it (prayer), it should be done when we first awaken, when our whole being is calm and recollected. We need to make our meditation before anything else. — Peter Julian Eymard
Our most emotionally active life is lived in our dreams, and our cells renew themselves most industriously in sleep. We reach highest in meditation, and farthest in prayer. In stillness every human being is great; he is free from the experience of hostility; he is a poet, and most like an angel. — Leonard Bernstein
Once the vision of the fulfillment of your dream has been planted in your mind, bring it in to your prayer life. Each time you pray the picture to mind and meditate on it. Pray over it. See it happening. Destroy all the images of failure. Replace them with the image of success. — Phil Pringle
For one minute, walk outside, stand there, in silence, look up at the sky, and contemplate how amazing life is.
I deepen my experience of God through prayer, meditation, and forgiveness. — Marianne Williamson
Meditation and prayer have withstood the test of time. They work today as perfectly as they did for those who first practised and perfected them. — Michael Beckwith
The essence of meditation is a period of time set aside to contemplate the Lord, listen to Him, and allow Him to permeate our spirits. — Charles Stanley
Reading is a form of prayer, a guided meditation that briefly makes us believe we're someone else, disrupting the delusion that we're permanent and at the center of the universe. Suddenly (we're saved!) other people are real again, and we're fond of them. — George Saunders
Christian Prayer Quotes
If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice? — David Livingstone
The sweetest sound I know is the Muslim call to prayer. — Barack Obama
One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time. — John Piper
Prayer is the key of the morning and bolt of the evening.
Prayer is not so much an act as it is an attitude - an attitude of dependency, dependency upon God. — Arthur W. Pink
You cannot pray at home, like you can at church, where there is a great multitude; where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the unions of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of priests. — Saint John Chrysostom
Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him. — Hudson Taylor
As long as the general population is passive, apathetic, diverted to consumerism or hatred of the vulnerable, then the powerful can do as they please, and those who survive will be left to contemplate the outcome.
We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend upon material success . . . but on Jesus alone. — Frances Xavier Cabrini
We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results. — R. A. Torrey
Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things! — Andrew Murray
Nothing tends more to cement the hearts of Christians than praying together. Never do they love one another so well as when they witness the outpouring of each other's hearts in prayer. — Charles Grandison Finney
Silent Prayer Quotes
I have abandoned all particular forms of devotion, all prayer techniques. My only prayer practice is attention. I carry on a habitual, silent, and secret conversation with God that fills me with overwhelming joy. — Brother Lawrence
Every positive thought is a silent prayer which will change your life. — Bryant H. McGill
I drove away from my mind everything capable of spoiling the sense of the presence of God.... I just make it my business to persevere in His holy presence... My soul has had an habitual, silent, secret conversation with God. — Brother Lawrence
In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering. — Pope Benedict XVI
I close my eyes, then I drift away, into the magic night I softly say. A silent prayer, like dreamers do, then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you. — Roy Orbison
The easiest way to get touch with this universal power is through silent Prayer. Shut your eyes, shut your mouth, and open your heart. This is the golden rule of prayer. Prayer should be soundless words coming forth from the centre of your heart filled with love. — Amit Ray
As my prayer became more attentive and inward, I had less and less to say. I finally became completely silent... This is how it is. To pray does not mean to listen to oneself speaking. Prayer involves becoming silent, and being silent, and waiting until God is heard. — Soren Kierkegaard
Whole days and weeks have I spent prostrate on the ground in silent or vocal prayer. — George Whitefield
How can you expect God to speak in that gentle and inward voice which melts the soul, when you are making so much noise with your rapid reflections? Be silent and God will speak again. — Francois FeNelon
Deep Meditation Quotes
I don't mind what happens. That is the essence of inner freedom.
It is a timeless spiritual truth: release attachment to outcomes,
deep inside yourself, you'll feel good no matter what. — Jiddu Krishnamurti
All meditation must begin with arousing deep compassion. Whatever one does must emerge from an attitude of love and benefitting others. — Milarepa
I started Transcendental Meditation in 1973 and have not missed a single meditation ever since. Twice a day, every day. It has given me effortless access to unlimited reserves of energy, creativity and happiness deep within. — David Lynch
When in bed, meditate. Either you will have a deep meditation or fall asleep. Victory either way. — Naval Ravikant
Eat plants, sleep well, train hard, work harder, meditate hardest, believe in yourself, give in service, and most of all love deep & wide. — Rich Roll
Everything that is meant for you will feel like a deep exhale, as though you are returning home to a place you forgot existed. — Brianna Wiest
True love, in the evolutionary sense, means peace of mind. ‘Still waters run deep’ is a good way of characterizing it. — Amir Levine
The good life is one that is characterized by a deep and abiding sense of love and connection to others. — Martha C. Nussbaum
That deep silence has a melody of its own, a sweetness unknown amid the harsh discords of the world's sounds. — Paul Brunton
The peasant celebrates with song and dance the harvest safely gathered in. The cup of Bacchus flows freely, and many find their relief in deep slumber. — Antonio Vivaldi
There are many beautiful things in the world around us, but pearls can only be discovered in the depths of the sea; if we wish to posses spiritual pearls we must plunge into the depths, that is, we must pray, we must sink down into the secret depths of contemplation and prayer. Then we shall perceive precious pearls. — Sadhu Sundar Singh
Prayer is looking out from a different set of eyes, which are not comparing, competing, judging, labeling or analyzing, but receiving the moment in its present wholeness and unwholeness. That is what is meant by contemplation. — Richard Rohr
Prayer means lovingly contemplating the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, allowing our hearts to be enkindled to praise and adore the love and omnipotence of the most blessed Trinity. — Basilea Schlink
The only thing to seek in contemplative prayer is God; and we seek Him successfully when we realize that we cannot find Him unless He shows Himself to us, and yet at the same time that He would not have inspired us to seek Him unless we had already found Him. — Thomas Merton
In vocal prayer we go to God on foot. In meditation we go to God on horseback. In contemplation we go to God in a jet. — Fulton J. Sheen
In my prayers, I want to say: Lord, don’t be far from me, and also don’t come too close. Let me contemplate the stars on the texture of your cloth, but don’t unveil your face to me. Allow me to hear the rivers that you send running, but Lord! Lord! Don’t allow me hearing your voice — Amin Maalouf
Do I want to pray or only to think about my human problems? Do I want to pray or simply kneel there contemplating my sorrow? Do I want to direct my prayer toward God or let it direct itself towards me? — Hubert Van Zeller
I've practiced centering prayer. I've contemplatively prayed. I've prayed liturgically... I've benefited from each, and I still do. In ways you'll see, elements of each style are still with me. — Larry Crabb
Another of the things I started to do during this time was what Buddhists normally call "meditation" or, in Christian terms, "contemplative prayer". It began to supersede deipnosophy as my favorite hobby. — Sara Maitland
Prayer and contemplation are both exercises in concentration. The normal deluge of conscious thought is restricted and the mind is brought to one conscious area of operation. The results are those you find in any concentrative practice: deep calm, a physiological slowing of the metabolism and a sense of peace and wellbeing — Henepola Gunaratana
We have wasted our spirit in the regions of the abstract and general just as the monks let it wither in the world of prayer and contemplation. — Alexander Herzen
I think the greatest gift we can give our children is the experience of deep quiet. If we don’t help our children cultivate contemplation, reflection, prayer, meditation, or whatever other practice of mindfulness, then they’re likely to be completely spun out of their center by the time they’re in grade school. — Marianne Williamson
It is not necessary to maintain a conversation when we are in the presence of God. We can come into His presence and rest our weary souls in quiet contemplation of Him. Our groanings, which cannot be uttered, rise to Him and tell Him better than words how dependent we are upon Him. — Ole Hallesby
My biggest past mistakes have been when I made decisions out of ego rather than spirit. When I acted too quickly. When I wasn't contemplative or reflective or prayerful enough, and I ended up making what I would only later see to be unwise decisions. — Marianne Williamson
They were creating a program on contemplative prayer called Be Still. They asked me to be a part of this project that was designed to help Americans see the importance of spending time before God in stillness. I knew immediately that God wanted me to be a part of the project. — Priscilla Shirer
The first step in faith is to stop thinking about God at the time of prayer.- — Brennan Manning
This mystical stream [contemplative prayer] is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality. — Tilden Edwards
It is to this silence [contemplative prayer] that we all are called. — Henri Nouwen
At best, I consider flying an unavoidable necessity, a time to resurrect forgotten prayers and contemplate the end of all joy in a twisted howling heap of machinery; at worst, I rank it right up there with psychotic episodes and torture at the hands of malevolent strangers. — T.C. Boyle
Prayer is nothing but that complete surrender, complete oneness with Christ. And this is what makes us contemplative in the heart of the world; for we are twenty-four hours then in His presence: in the hungry, in the naked, in the homeless, in the unwanted, unloved, uncared for. For Jesus said, Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me. — Mother Teresa
Have a sense of piety ever on your mind, and be ever mindful that this is subject to no change, but will last you as long as life and support you in death. Elevate your soul by prayer and by contemplation without mystical enthusiasm. — James Boswell
Prayer can assume very different forms, from quiet, blessed contemplation of God, in which eye meets eye in restful meditation, to deep sighs or sudden exclamations of wonder, joy, gratitude or adoration. — Ole Hallesby
The disciplines of prayer, silence, and contemplation as practiced by the monastics and mystics are precisely that - stopping the noise, slowing down, and becoming still so that God can break through all our activity and noise to speak to us. Prayer serves to put all parts of our lives in God's presence, reminding us how holy our humanity really is. — Jim Wallis
We should all without shame enrol in the school of contemplative prayer. — Richard J. Foster
Other forms of relating to God that have unique value in connecting us to Him include contemplative prayer and centering prayer. — Larry Crabb
What you find I think in the mystical strain of Catholicism is that you're put in relationship with God, and you have many opportunities not only of talking with God in petitionary prayer, but also of listening to God, being attentive to God, as happens in contemplation. — Kevin Hart
Prayer that works is prayer that makes a difference, contemplation that turns into action, on behalf of peace and justice in a troubled and unjust world system. Prayer is energy, the energy of love and transformative power. It is given to us to use for the good of all creation. In prayer God gives us the fuel of life, and asks us to live it. — Margaret Silf
There is a great deal too much in the world, of the "heavenly-mindedness" which expends itself in the contemplation of the joys of paradise, which performs no duty which it can shirk, and whose constant prayer is to be lifted in some overwhelming flood of Divine grace, and be carried, amidst the admiration of men and the jubilance of angels, to the very throne of God. — Henry Clay Trumbull
Seek in reading and thou shalt find in meditation; knock in prayer and it shall be opened in contemplation. — John of the Cross
Because of his supernatural outlook, he could always work very calmly and effectively and finish things on time. This was a reflection of the reality of a harmonious and attractive blend of prayer and action. It clearly showed that the sensibilities of a contemplative soul in no way lead to agitation or nervousness. — Salvador Bernal
Let all your thoughts be with the Most High, and direct your humble prayers unceasingly to Christ. If you cannot contemplate high and heavenly things, take refuge in the Passion of Christ, and love to dwell within His Sacred Wounds. For if you devoutly seek the Wounds of Jesus and the precious marks of His Passion, you will find great strength in all troubles. — Thomas a Kempis
There's no Biblical definition of contemplative prayer — Mike Bickle
The Protestant wing of the western church, which is a tiny percentage of the Body of Christ, is nearly completely (98%) unaware that the Holy Spirit is restoring contemplative prayer-center stage-to the church The Holy Spirit is restoring this precious jewel (contemplative prayer) to the body of Christ. This is the God ordained means of attaining the fullness of God. — Mike Bickle
The full horror of what has happened in the United States earlier today is now becoming clearer. It is hard even to contemplate the utter carnage and terror which has engulfed so many innocent people. We've offered President Bush and the American people our solidarity, our profound sympathy, and our prayers. But it is plain that citizens of many countries round the world, including Britain, will have been caught up in this terror. — Tony Blair
God has special confidences for each soul. Indeed, it would seem as though the deepest truths came only in moments of profound devotional silence and contemplation. — Charles Brent
In Conclusion
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